Ely

I arrived in Ely in late June for the first time. This place is not even what I could have begun to imagine. I had this picture in my head of this cute little town with little boutiques on main street and a big clock tower in the center of town over city hall. In my head I saw planters filled with flowers and everyone waving a friendly hello as you passed by.
I was in for quite a shock as I roamed the town my first few days. The best way that I can describe Ely is (excuse my French) shit hole!!!! Everything is run down and dirty. The neighborhoods are filled with homes displaying old couches on the side of the yard and trash stacked up every where. The famous and Historic Hotel Nevada has to be the dirtiest place that I have ever stayed and this is what Ely claims as one of the big attractions. Yes, it was the tallest building in 1912, and yes it has history, but nobody has given it much TLC since it’s debut.
As for the people, I’m sad to say that in the 2 months that I have been here now, I have come to realize that this town is filled with scandal and a lack of family values. Everyone has slept with everyone and marriage vows and commitment seem to matter little.
Outside of town, Ely does have a few redeeming qualities. Cave lake is only about 20 minutes away, and although too small for boating, is beautiful. There is camping and fishing and, an adventure I have not partaken in quite yet, crawdading, which I have heard is very fun. There is also the McGill swimming hole, which although slightly run down and dirty along with everything else, is charming in it’s own way. It is exactly what I said, a swimming hole. Literally a big hole filled with water, two water slides and a diving board. You can buy nets at the snack shack and catch guppies and swim for hours. The kids really enjoy it there.
I am thankful that I have my own little bit of normalcy here in the house that we found to rent. After a few days of nothing to rent but homes that were in my view unlivable, God did provide us with a cute little house, with a nice yard that is very clean! I’m telling you that in this town, it was a miracle of God that we found it at all! Although I have not been thrilled with being here so far, I just came across a card that my mom had given my sister when she moved a long time ago. It was stuck in a book that my sister had passed on the me to read. I pulled it out and this is what it said:
Dear Kim,
One of the things that Jule said that was important when she got moved to Merced (a place she hates) was "bloom where you’re planted" In other words, try to stay focused on the good and learn what you can do to find your niche. That may take growth to try new things until you find what’s just right, but don’t sit and stew or think about what you wish.
I’ll be praying God, our gardener, makes your "life garden" a beautiful one.
I love you,
Mom"